Göring. Hess. Mengele. Dönitz. Names that conjure up dark memories of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. They were the architects of the Third Reich. And they were fathers. Gerald Posner convinced eleven sons and daughters of Hitler’s inner circle to break their silence. Hitler’s Children is a riveting and intimate look inside the families of top Nazis. Based on exclusive and in-depth interviews, … interviews, Gerald Posner provides an unforgettable portrait of some children ravaged by anger and hatred while others are riven with guilt and plead for forgiveness.
This second generation of perpetrators in Hitler’s Children struggle with their Third Reich inheritance. In grappling with memories of good and loving fathers who were later charged with war crimes, these heirs to the Nazi legacy add a fresh and important perspective to understanding the complexity of what historian, Hannah Arendt, dubbed “the banality of evil.”
Hitler’s Children is much more, however, than a series of startling family interviews. It is also a spellbinding insider’s look at some of the men whose names have become synonymous with terror.
This is a classic book about the second generation of Nazi perpetrators (the only one ever to have family interviews with Hess, Mengele, Donitz, and Göring.) No other book author or documentarian ever got those children to talk again. And Norman Frank, the eldest son of war criminal Hans Frank, also never spoke to anyone but Posner.
Hitler’s Children serves as a vivid reminder to all of us of the dangers of ignoring anti-Semitism or thinking it will go away or can’t get any worse. These are the children who saw their fathers corrupted by the insidious, centuries-old hatred, and their accounts serve as a clarion warning to us today that all decent people must redouble their efforts against racial and religious hatred.
The book, perhaps more timely today than when it was published in 1991, includes a new introduction, explaining why this book is particularly important during a time of rising international anti-Semitism.
“A mesmerizing, blood-chilling book . . . The contrast between innocent childhood experience, and the awful understanding of that experience that came with time, is enough to make you weep”
– Los Angeles Times
“They were the architects of terror but they were also fathers. Now, for the first time, their children speak out . . . a fascinating book”
– Sunday Mail
“Absorbing . . . . most of the characters in Posner’s study are more lurid than anything found in fiction. . . . a masterly job”
– Montreal Gazette
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Excellent book on S S and Nazi children of the top ranked members of the party and their feelings about their fathers.
A very different look at other victims of Hilter – the children that had to live with the knowledge of what their war criminal father’s did during the war. Good selection of interviews by including children of some of the worst criminals to some of the lesser known ones. The interviews include a description of their father’s crimes, too, plus how they were as father’s at the time. Well written.
I really wanted to learn about these children would fare after the war. I am a retired history teacher with more time to read so I am filling in some gaps in my knowledge. A good book for any avid reader of WWII.
Fascinating interviews with adult children of some Hitler’s top men, and their memories of those men as fathers.
For those who like every scrap of WWII/Hitler/Germany information. Interesting, appears to have been well-researched. You can pretty much guess off spring of Hitler’s administration are conflicted which this book proves. Unfortunately, author was’t able to interview the more sensational members of Hit’er’s cabinet.
This is not a sensationalized account of the Holocaust. It includes the interviews of children of high-ranking Nazi officers, and careful research to corroborate (or not) various “facts” put forth by the now-adult children. The memories of times and conversations which the children had with their fathers, both as children, and sometimes as adults, constitute a variety of interpretations and legacies, much as I imagine this period of time did for many Germans. I found it fascinating, and appropriately tragic.
Get’s into the minds of the children of Nazi leaders – how they manage to justify,or not, the sins of their parents. If you are interested in what makes people tick, this is a great read.
Prejudiced opinions rather than history
This book taught me not to prejudge anyone. Some of the children were ashamed of what their fathers had done. Others did not want to believe their fathers had done these heinous acts. It is frightening to think of what was done in Nazi Germany against the newspaper people, those who opposed the Nazis and especially the Jews. I have been through several concentration camps and still could not believe how evil all that happened there was.
Interesting historical read
Interesting. Finished the book-not quite my type but informative
I am reading it now. It is a very interesting and informative read.
Hitter and the men that helped him. Very good piece of history
Sad and tragic stories, for the most part.
This was quite different from any other Nazi book I have read on my quest to understand how an entire country could let such horrors happen. It helped to highlight that this was a different era when you didn’t really know what your dad did for a job besides his title.
Explains some of the children whose parents were co-horts of Hitler & his thugs.
Very good book. Can you imagine being a child of a Nazi monster. Very difficult. Your Daddy…but the horrible crimes against humanity. It would have to mess with your mind. Some disowned their Fathers while others did not. These children had a difficult road pre-mapoed out, through no fault of their own, to follow.
I’m no expert, but it seemed well researched and historically accurate. Well written.
Interesting insights into the families of Nazi leaders.